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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · deal · mine · face · safe · bulb · saw · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bulb — for light
  5. face — to point toward
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. face — to confront
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. row — a line
  14. saw — the tool
  15. board — a committee
  16. face — part of the head
  17. saw — the tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. deal — to handle
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. board — to get on
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com